Many cable-securing systems and devices are known. These can be as simple as flexible tie-type devices which are twisted around a cable bundle so as to secure or collect them together. More complex methods involve purpose-manufactured devices which can be used to mount cables or cable bundles on a support surface or structure.
A common requirement of most cable-securing systems is that they should be able to easily allow the addition and removal of cables such that they can be secured easily and quickly. This is desirable as it is often the case that a cable bundle may need to be dismantled to allow reconfiguration of the interconnected devices or the addition of new cables in the bundle. It is also necessary that any cable-securing system be inexpensive to manufacture as well as simple and robust in design.
There are many industrial cabling applications in which the present invention may be useful. However, one of the more useful purposes to which it may be applied is in organising the cabling or wiring connecting a personal computer (PC) and its peripherals. Peripheral cabling problems have been worsened by the introduction and growth of USB technology which produced a situation where even relatively modest personal computers have expansion capabilities which can allow the connection of a very large number of peripherals. Apart from the usual monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer, it is common to connect additional devices such as PDA docking stations, digital media interfaces, speakers, modems, gaming input devices and network connections. Even where a USB hub is used, this results in a mess of cables.
This problem is of course also apparent in a business environment where workstations, docking stations and the like are connected to network hubs, and I/O devices. Of course workstations and PCs also include a power input cable and, where the monitor is not powered from the PSU, a power cable supplying the monitor.
The resulting mass of cables is almost always unsightly and may also present a risk in terms of accidental disconnection during maintenance where the wrong cable might be traced and disconnected.
In the context of PCs and similar types of hardware, a number of solutions have been proposed to address this issue. However, not all of them are ideal.
It is possible to secure cables in a bundle using plastic self-locking strap devices. These devices incorporate a ratchet mechanism at one end of the strap and an engagement surface along part of the other end. The cable mass is bundled together and the device wrapped around it. The engagement end is inserted into the ratchet and drawn tight. While being a cheap and effective means of bundling cables, it is very difficult to add or remove cables without destroying the strap. In fact, it is common to cut the strap to perform this action. These devices are generally very good for organising cable or wire masses inside workstations or PCs. However, they are quite impractical for cable organisation outside a machine. Cables bundled outside a PC are more likely to be reconfigured and unless spare securing straps are on hand, it is likely that the cable mass will be left in disarray.
Another solution is to add a cable-cover or shroud over the part of the PC which incorporates the I/O ports, usually on the back of the machine. These devices can be retrofitted and serve to conceal the cable mass from view. However, they only function around the area directly at the rear of the machine. Also, maintaining a PC having such a device can be awkward, as the shroud must be removed whenever a cable is to be connected or disconnected from the machine.
It is also common for a cable mass to extend for some distance between a PC and its peripherals, mains power supply or network connection. In these situations it is possible to use some type of conduit material to constrain the cables. Examples of this include spiral tubing which wraps around the cables. However, this material can be awkward to use, as it may be difficult to disentangle a cable from the spiral tubing and from the other cables in the bundle.
Thus the problem reduces to how to organise the cables in a neat and tidy manner, while allowing for the easy and fast removal/addition of selected cables from/to the cable bundle. The solution ideally should be inexpensive and preferably the securing means is in one part. This latter point is important as wherever a securing system requires more than one part for assembly, there is an almost certain probability that parts will be lost, mislaid, or simply not easily at hand when configuring a cable mass.
The object of the present invention is therefore to overcome or at least ameliorate some of the abovementioned disadvantages, while providing a solution that is simple, easy to manufacture and very easy to use. It is also desirable that the invention be flexible to the extent that it can be used not only to organise a cable bundle, but also to secure a cable bundle to a mounting point.